Governance at the County Level - Assessing Shared Service and Consolidation Options in Schuyler and Yates Counties
In May 2014, the counties of Schuyler and Yates, NY began a study process to examine the potential benefits of increased collaboration and sharing of services. CGR was engaged to provide a baseline review, review options, and determine the impact of these options on residents, finances, and services. CGR's report...
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Emergency Medical Services System in Greene County - Assessment of EMS Operations and Options for Improving Service
In 2014, CGR completed a project for the Greene County (NY) EMS Task Force the focused on enabling the county EMS providers to plan to modify their system based on the demands for service, existing resource availability and geographic constraints. The study created three different options for resource...
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Village of Medina Dissolution Study - Baseline Description of Services, Options for Dissolution, Fiscal Impact and Dissolution Plan
In 2013, officials in the western New York Village of Medina launched an effort to analyze the potential efficiency of dissolving the Village of Medina. The study considered the impacts of dissolving the village government while maintaining appropriate levels of service for municipal services including the Police Department. Cost savings...
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The University of Rochester Economic Impact
As the 8th largest private employer in New York State, the University of Rochester (UR) is not only the largest regional employer, but the catalyst for over 50,000 jobs overall. In the two years since our previous study, it has continued to expand its influence by establishing affiliations with...
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Village of Dryden Police Services Restructuring Study
In 2013, the central New York Village of Dryden requested a review of their police department operations including identifying options for the future of the local law enforcement service. The study evaluated processes for police patrol, volume of criminal activity and financial operations of the police department. A variety of...
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Feasibility Analysis for the Merger for the Department of Health and the Department of Mental Hygiene in Dutchess County, NY
CGR conducted a feasibility study of merging the Departments of Health and Mental Hygiene within Dutchess County. Our review included a detailed examination of the baseline of current services (operated by both government and non-profit agencies), and an overview of the changing landscape of the healthcare delivery systems. We evaluated...
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West Central Educational Service Center - Assessment of a Merger
Educational service centers in rural Ohio sought CGR’s assistance to explore merger. Changes in Ohio state law have changed the competitive climate for what were originally county-level entities. Created to serve individual county school districts, the state eliminated their exclusive franchise. Smaller ESCs have struggled to be responsive to member...
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The Future of Law Enforcement in Watkins Glen
In 2012, CGR was engaged by the Village of Watkins Glen to evaluate their police department and provide options to reduce costs including sharing services with the Schuyler County Sheriff’s Office. CGR conducted on site interviews with staff of both departments, participated in department observation, and regularly met with...
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Options for Governmental Structural Changes: Dissolution & Alternatives Study for Village of Hoosick Falls, NY
In 2012, the officials in the eastern New York Village of Hoosick Falls contracted with CGR to conduct a study on the impacts of village dissolution. The study considered the impacts of dissolving the village government including the impacts on the police department, justice court, public works and administrative functions....
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Strategic Options to Realign Resources for the Southeastern NY Library Resources Council
The strategic plan of the Southeastern New York Library Resource Council, one of 9 Reference and Research Library Resource Councils (3Rs) in the state, calls for streamlining services and leveraging limited resources for more effective support of member libraries. CGR examined the feasibility of formalizing shared services and/or consolidating with...
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Village of Mannsville Dissolution Study, Plan and Alternatives
Mannsville is a small village (population 354) in the Town of Ellisburg, located in northern NY. In late 2012, a study committee explored the impact of dissolving the village and developed a report and dissolution plan. The committee estimates Mannsville taxpayers will experience a 40% decrease in their...
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The Village of East Syracuse and Town of DeWitt Shared Services Study
The Village of East Syracuse received a NYS Local Government Efficiency grant to assess, in cooperation with the Town of DeWitt, service sharing and cost saving opportunities in 6 service areas: assessment; code enforcement; planning and zoning; snow removal; parks and recreation; and code enforcement. CGR completed the assessment...
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Economic Impact of the University of Rochester: Measuring the Regional Stimulus Provided by New York State's Seventh Largest Private Employer
The University of Rochester (UR), which employs more than 23,000 people, is NY's 7th largest private employer. In 2011, UR continued to expand, adding infrastructure and driving research-related dollars to the Rochester region even as the local, state and national economies struggled to regain their footing. CGR...
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Regional Economic Impact of the Corning Museum of Glass
The Corning Museum of Glass is a unique resource and provides a significant stimulus for the economy of NY’s Finger Lakes region. In 2011 the museum generated more than 750 jobs, resulting in more than $32 million in labor income. CGR analysis found nearly 10% of tourism jobs...
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Schoharie County Highways Shared Services/Consolidation Study - An Overview of Current Operations and Analysis of Options
Schoharie County engaged CGR to study options for improving efficiency in the highway services provided by the 22 municipalities in the county. CGR catalogued the highway inventory and operations of each local government and analyzed 2 sub-regional models for improving efficiency. The first explored merging 2 town highway operations, and...
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Hamlin, Morton, Walker Fire District Consolidation Study - Baseline Review and Analysis of Options
CGR completed a consolidation study for the Fire Districts of Hamlin, Morton and Walker. The districts are located primarily in the northwest quadrant of Monroe County NY, largely covering the Town of Hamlin. The districts jointly agreed to study the operational and tax impacts associated with consolidation to address the...
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Consolidation Options and Impacts for Princeton, NJ: A Report to the Joint Consolidation/Shared Services Study Commission
In November 2011, voters in the Borough and Township of Princeton NJ overwhelmingly approved consolidating into a single government, effective in January 2013. CGR was engaged in 2010 to complete an in-depth analysis of the financial and operational implications of merger and assist the appointed Consolidation Commission with development of...
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Analysis of Shared Services in Lyons, NY
The Village and Town of Lyons, along with the Lyons Central School District have a long history of implementing shared services to better serve their Wayne County (NY) community. In 2010, they collectively engaged CGR to explore ways to further their collaboration. CGR studied code enforcement, municipal courts,...
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Municipal Services & Financial Overview - Borough and Township of Princeton
In November 2011, voters in the Borough and Township of Princeton NJ overwhelmingly approved consolidating into a single government, effective in January 2013. CGR was engaged in 2010 to complete an in-depth analysis of the financial and operational implications of merger and assist the appointed Consolidation Commission with development of...
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Analysis of Shared Services in the Village and Town of Geneseo Code Enforcement and Courts
The Village and Town of Geneseo have a long history of sharing municipal services. The municipalities decided to formally study two informal sharing relationships – code enforcement and courts. One goal was to understand if the current arrangement for code enforcement is still advantageous or whether the communities should formalize...
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Village of Dansville Dissolution/Coterminous Feasibility Study
The Village of Dansville and Town of North Dansville NY are interested in controlling costs through shared service opportunities up to and including full consolidation. While elected officials were originally intrigued by the concept of becoming a co-terminous village and town, a full study found that pursuing city status...
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Village of Holley & Town of Murray Shared Services/Consolidation Study
The Village of Holley NY, in partnership with the Town of Murray, engaged CGR to study the feasibility of enhancing shared services and/or consolidation in the areas of code enforcement, DPW / highway, purchasing and tax collection. As a result of our analyses, CGR found little opportunity in the areas...
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Economic Impact of University of Rochester and its Affiliates
An analysis of the University of Rochester and its affiliates (UR) shows the economic impact on the 5-county Rochester NY region is substantial, and today UR is not only the #1 regional employer but also NY's #6 employer. Other key findings for 2009: wages paid totaled nearly $1.25 billion, and...
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Village of Perrysburg Dissolution Feasibility Study: Final Report on Dissolution and Alternatives to Dissolution for the Village of Perrysburg
The Village of Perrysburg NY has a population of about 380 residents, covers one square mile, and in recent years has lost most of its private businesses. In 2009, CGR was engaged to complete a study identifying options for the village, up to and including dissolving the village and consolidating...
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Village of North Collins Dissolution Feasibility Study: Final Report on Dissolution and Alternatives to Dissolution for the Village of North Collins
The Village of North Collins NY initiated a consolidation, merger and dissolution feasibility study in spring 2009. A dissolution study committee, assisted by CGR, prepared a report including a formal dissolution plan and alternatives to dissolution and delivered it to the Village board in late 2009. The board subsequently voted...
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Village of Seneca Falls Dissolution Plan: Final Report on Dissolution and Alternatives to Dissolution for the Village of Seneca Falls
The Village and Town of Seneca Falls NY initially engaged CGR to assess ways to achieve a major goal: reduce the cost of government to help stimulate economic growth in the community. CGR found, in a 2008 study, that consolidating the governments would offer potential for major savings for village...
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Community Services Benchmarking Summary
As part of a strategic planning process, the Town of Victor NY engaged CGR to perform a community service benchmarking study, comparing the town against a group of peer communities on a variety of fiscal, governmental and service delivery measures. The study’s purpose was not just to target the...
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Collaborative Property Tax Administration in Albany County: A Review of Assessment and Tax Collection Options
In 2008, NYS provided grant funds to encourage counties to study how to streamline their local assessment and/or tax administration programs to promote efficiency, equity and transparency for taxpayers. Albany County was the only county in the state to analyze the assessment and tax administration program simultaneously. Recognizing the...
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A Review of Property Tax Assessment Options for Wayne County
In 2008, NYS provided grant funds to encourage counties to study how to streamline their local assessment programs to promote efficiency, equity and transparency for taxpayers. CGR helped Wayne County conduct an analysis of assessment operations to determine whether consolidation of local assessment offices would create efficiencies and/or equity....
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A Review of Property Tax Assessment Options for Chemung County
In 2008, NYS provided grant funds to encourage counties to study how to streamline their local assessment programs to promote efficiency, equity and transparency for taxpayers, and the county engaged CGR for the study. Chemung County, a leader in shared service and consolidation projects in NY, chose to analyze the...
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A Review of Property Tax Assessment Options for Orleans County
In 2008, NYS provided grant funds to encourage counties to study how to streamline their local assessment programs to promote efficiency, equity and transparency for taxpayers. Orleans County officials initiated a study as part of a continued effort to streamline assessment operations and create a more efficient system. ...
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A Review of Collaborative Options for Functions and Facilities: City of Tonawanda & Tonawanda City School District
For the City of Tonawanda NY and the Tonawanda City School District, CGR conducted a shared services study funded by a state grant. CGR made 10 recommendations in the functional areas of purchasing, maintenance and technology and also provided a cost/benefit analysis for a series of potential collaborative facility options.
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Village of Lake Placid/Town of North Elba Shared Services Study
CGR completed a study in 2008 for the Village of Lake Placid and the Town of North Elba that evaluated opportunities to expand shared services between the village and town to reduce costs and share them more equitably. The study focused primarily on parks, public works and administrative...
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Final Report on Strategic Alternatives for the Village & Town of Seneca Falls, NY: Considerations for a New Governance Model
The leaders of the Village & Town of Seneca Falls engaged CGR to help them achieve a major goal: reducing the cost of government to help stimulate economic growth in the greater community. They asked CGR to develop a strategic plan for implementing shared service alternatives up to and including...
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A Study of Shared Service Opportunities for the Village and Town of Cobleskill, NY
The Village and Town of Cobleskill in NY’s Adirondack region received a state Shared Municipal Services Incentive (SMSI) grant to identify options for increased service sharing or consolidation. CGR’s report describes options in 3 key categories that could lead to increased efficiency and/or cost savings. The categories include sharing services...
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Fiscal Impact of Land Development Alternatives: Town of Aurora
The Town of Aurora in Erie County includes the historically significant Village of East Aurora, which features scenic views, natural resources, and a thriving tourism industry. In hopes of preserving the character, charm and economic viability of the village, town leaders engaged CGR to study how restricting residential development in...
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Opportunities to Use Shared Services and Consolidation Strategies to Improve Efficiency, Effectiveness and Equity in Local Government Observations from Three City/Town Groups in Upstate New York
NY’s Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness engaged CGR to analyze local governments (city and town) in the Oneonta, Norwich and Cortland areas and evaluate opportunities to share services and/or consolidate. CGR’s report of the issues and options in the 3 city/town groups focuses attention on workable and realistic...
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Village of Speculator Dissolution Plan and Options for Shared Services: Findings and Alternatives
In response to a resident-initiated petition to dissolve the Village of Speculator in NY’s Adirondack region, Village leaders were required by state law to develop a dissolution plan and present it to Village voters. CGR was engaged to study all options for shared services up to and including dissolution of...
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A Tale of Two Suburbs: A Comparative Analysis of the Cost of Local Government in Long Island and in Northern Virginia
In 2007, CGR conducted a landmark comparison of local governments on Long Island with a comparable area in northern Virginia. Local government services, including schools, cost 44% less in NVA, although the level of services and citizen satisfaction with those services appear comparable. A detailed comparison of school districts and...
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Access to Subsidized Child Care in Monroe County, NY
Between 2001 and early 2007 the average number of child care slots per month filled by Monroe County (NY) children receiving child care subsidies declined by about 38%, from about 13,575 to 8,400. The decline was fueled primarily by three factors: 1) Monroe County lowered the income eligibility rate from...
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Growing the Economy in the Greater Rochester Region; Drawing on the Competencies of the Finger Lakes
Finger Lakes Wired, one of the first 13 federally designated “Wired” regions in the country funded by the U.S. Department of Labor to support economic development and transform regional economies, engaged CGR to identify key competencies in its 9-county region and recommend strategies to capitalize on them.
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Worksite Wellness in Rochester, NY: Part I - Best Practices and Lessons Learned & Part II - Survey Results
CGR was engaged by the Rochester Business Alliance to complete a two-part study on worksite wellness issues. Part I included a summary of worksite wellness metrics and best practices based on findings in the literature, identified examples of worksite wellness initiatives nationwide, and described important resources available to employers of...
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